The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

decide to send them to Afghanistan?” inquired Kirilenko. “We have heard that religiouspeople have joined the rebel forces. They are Muslims—the ordinary people of Afghanistan.How do we propose to fight against the Afghan people?”“According to our data, about three thousand rebels are being dispatched fromPakistan to Afghanistan. Most of them are religious fanatics,” clarified the chairman of theKGB. “The issue is how actively the Afghan population will support them.”“The balance of power between the rebels and government supporters is unclearnow,” agreed Gromyko. “The events in Herat developed quite tumultuously. More than athousand people have been killed there. But even there, the situation remains unclear.”“I think that this draft resolution that is front of us now needs to be corrected,” saidKosygin, decisively entering the conversation. “To begin with, we should not wait untilApril to supply armaments. They should be provided, as per their demands, startingimmediately. I would also suggest the following measures be implemented. Taraki shouldbe informed that we are raising the price for gas that we import from Afghanistan, from 15to 25 rubles per 1,000 cubic meters. This will give our Afghan friends the opportunity tocover the expenses related to the acquisition of weapons. In my opinion, Afghans should begiven these weapons free of charge.”Members of the Politburo murmured their approval, as they saw no point in beingstingy.“Further,” the chairman of the government continued, “the draft of the resolutionsays that we plan to give them 75,000 tons of bread. I think we should reconsider thisnumber as well, and provide Afghanistan with 100,000 tons. We must signal ourunwavering moral support for the Afghan people. We ought to fight for Afghanistan.”362